Oh what times we live in. Everyone is afraid, it seems. Afraid of each other. Some citizens worry for their life, though they should worry about their character. They’re hiding behind their fear of the unknown, wrapped up in a cocoon of convenience, shouting slogans that give them an illusion of unity – a unity they seem to lack within themselves. Concealing their racism through lies of frustration – frustration about their own lives that are so much safer than they realize. So worried, they don’t seem to notice that we all see what they really are. And we condemn.

We condemn all the angry eyes and furious words spoken unknowingly. All the fire thrown at shelters. We distance ourselves from their distance to life. And we remind them of where to never go again.

To learn from mistakes, you need to be aware of what has been. To move on to a good path, you need to know the past, with all its wrong turns. And the right way was not the “shift to the right.” Looking around now, it seems many of us have forgotten how far things have gone before, more than once.

There is not one step you can take in this city that hasn’t been walked upon, that is free from history. And so are we – we are the result of thousands of years of history and we are capable of building a future. We are capable of compassion and reason. We are capable of love.

Today, it’s time to remember. To remember what has been and to be reminded of the futility of hatred. And be aware – very aware – of our ability to either bring ourselves together or tear ourselves apart.

Berlin doesn’t forget. Remember this.

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Thanks to Anamaria Tatu for submitting these wonderful photos of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe here in Berlin.